Couple Logs 400 Miles in England

Meet Ron Stevenson and Pam Parmer. Outdoor enthusiasts who have taken three 100-mile walks across England and Scotland, Ron and Pam are heading on another 100 miler through England's Cotswolds region this fall. Says Ron, "one of the big advantages of Asbury for us is that we can lock and leave."

Last year’s trip took Ron and Pam along the Northumberland Coast Path and ranged from 7-mile to 14-mile daily hikes. Though Ron and Pam’s trip may seem daunting to some, while walking they met Peter Hill, an 51-year-old Englishman who was hiking the entire 5,024-mile coast of Great Britain and chronicling his travels in a blog called gbcoastwalk.com

For their Cotswolds walk, the couple are hoping to be joined for a day or two by two grandsons. Next year’s hike, a walk along the coast of Wales with Pam’s brother, is already in the planning stages.

Ron and Pam met while members of the same Washington, D.C. running club, though they now spend more time hiking and biking than running. Ron is an avid photographer, and compiles photo books of their adventures.

A third-generation genealogist, Ron has used work done by his grandmother and mother along the site Ancestry.com to trace one branch of his father’s family tree back to William the Conqueror – who is also a distant relation of Pam’s. Past walking tours in Great Britain have featured pit stops at ancestral castles.

Ron’s work life includes four years as a naval officer during the 1960s and 37 years as a marketing executive for Hallmark Cards. Pam had a wide-ranging career that included time in Ghana with the Peace Corps, school social worker positions, director of admissions at a psychiatric hospital, and consulting clinician to USAID employees and families. They have a son and daughter – and five grandchildren – who live in England and Southern California, respectively.

The couple almost did not become Asbury residents; they had decided to move to a retirement community in Pennsylvania when friends invited them to come see the campus. They liked what they saw and heard enough to change their plans and come here instead, moving into a Villas home in April. And we’re glad they did!

This article includes information compiled by Asbury Methodist Village resident Fran Blendermann for the Village Life newspaper.

Photo Tour

Asbury Methodist Village is the 13th largest CCRC in the country and proudly calls Montgomery County, Maryland home. As part of the not-for-profit Asbury system, Asbury Methodist Village provides a complete continuum of care including independent living options such as courtyard homes, villas, and spacious apartments, as well as assisted living suites, skilled nursing residences, memory support and rehabilitation therapy services. These choices, combined with an outstanding tradition of quality and service, help Asbury lead the way in exceptional retirement living.